


She's Just a Friend

by Starshipranger97



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien finally wakes up, F/M, Jealous Adrien Agreste, Miraculous Team, One Shot, POV Adrien Agreste, one-sided reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 08:26:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18406850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starshipranger97/pseuds/Starshipranger97
Summary: Marinette and Luka start dating, leaving Adrien to grapple with some complicated feelings. Then there's an akuma attack, and Chat Noir sees something he wasn't supposed to...Adrien is having a really bad day.





	She's Just a Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Alya, Nino, and Chloe are allowed to keep their miraculous's fulltime here!
> 
> Also, I'm sorry I put like no effort into this akuma. It's basically Stoneheart 2.0, but the akuma itself doesn't really matter. It's the interactions between characters that really matter. I hope you like this story!

Adrien waved goodbye to his bodyguard, then stepped upstairs to school. He made his way to Ms. Bustier’s classroom and slid open the door. He set his bag on his desk, then glanced behind him. Much of the class was huddled around Marinette and Alya’s desk.

“What's going on?” he asked, turning to face them.

“Marinette’s got a boyfriend!” Rose squealed.

“What?” Adrien asked, his eyes widening. He glanced around the group before setting his gaze on Marinette. She was blushing, but a huge smile was spread across her face. Alya leaned over and gave her a side hug.

“That's my girl!” Alya said proudly.

“Who… who is it?” he asked, looking around at his classmates. Most of the class was in a relationship already, so who could it be?

“My brother,” Juleka mumbled.

“Luka,” Marinette clarified. She smiled a little when she said his name.

“Luka?” he echoed, a little shocked. He knew they were close, after the events at the ice rink, but now they were dating? He realized everyone was watching him, so he put on a big smile. “Congratulations, Marinette.”

“Thanks!” she beamed at him. He felt his heart pump a little faster, and he turned around in his seat as everyone else started chattering again.

Chloe and Sabrina were in their seats, looking annoyed. He gave them a small wave. At least he wasn't the only one who couldn't be overjoyed at the news.

“All right class, settle down! Let's get started!” Ms. Bustier said as she entered the room.

Adrien tried to focus on class, but his mind kept wandering. Marinette and Luka? Were they really hanging out that much?

“Dude, you okay?”

He snapped back to attention. He was eating lunch with Nino. Adrien couldn't remember half the day, or how he got here.

“Uh, yeah. Why?”

“You've been acting weird all day. Is everything alright?” Nino looked concerned.

“Yeah, yeah. Just… you don't think it's weird that Marinette is dating Luka?”

“Why would it be weird?”

“I don't know. He's older, and he doesn't even go to our school…”

Nino shrugged. “Well, I don't know him that well. Alya and I have hung out with them a couple times, and he seems cool. And he makes Marinette happy. Do you not like him?”

Adrien felt his stomach twist. “You hung out with them?”

“Well, yeah. Alya and Marinette are best friends,” Nino shrugged. He peered closely at Adrien. “You… are you jealous?”

“Not at all!” Adrien said hastily. “Marinette's just a friend. I just want her to be happy. Because she's my… friend.”

Nino didn't look convinced. “You know you can talk to me, dude. What happened with Kagami? I thought you were into her.”

“I… I like Kagami. But not that way. We're better off just being friends.”

“Okay. Well, as long as you're happy,” Nino said, although he still looked a little concerned.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, Adrien ducked into the restroom, taking a deep breath. Nothing spectacularly bad had happened, but he still felt like the whole day sucked. There was a rustle in his shirt, and Plagg flew out.

“What's wrong?”

“I don't know, Plagg. I feel so strange today. My heart… hurts.”

“You are so dense. You like Marinette!”

“What? No. Marinette is…”

“Just a friend. Right, I've heard it before.”

“I love Ladybug,” Adrien said firmly. “She's the only one for me.”

“Didn't you feel this same way after Ladybug rejected you? Except this time, it's because Marinette has a boyfriend.”

“But…”

“Besides, you can like two girls at the same time. I fall in love with every piece of camembert I see!”

Adrien sighed. Did he love Marinette? He certainly _liked_ her. He trusted her, and he had fun hanging out with her. She was sweet and nice…

No. He wasn't going to finish that thought. He was in love with Ladybug, and that was it. There had to be some other reason why he felt this way.

He left the bathroom and went back to the classroom, looking up and locking eyes with Marinette. She perked up a little, smiling brightly and offering a little wave.

His heart picked up speed, and he found himself mesmerized by those incredible blue eyes and that sweet smile. He lowered his head to hide his flush, sitting down. There's no way Plagg was right about this. 

Right?

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After school, Adrien stood on the steps, a little dazed. He didn't notice Alya and Nino watching him a little ways away, whispering to each other.

"You two talked at lunch. What do you know?" Alya demanded.

“Nothing!”

Alya gave him a look. “Come on. I'm your girlfriend. You have to tell me! I told you about Marinette’s crush!”

“He won't admit to anything!”

Alya narrowed her eyes angrily. “But he does, doesn't he? He's acting super weird, and he can't stop staring at her.”

“I don't think he can even admit it to himself yet. Give him some time.”

“No! All that time Marinette liked him, and he just brushed her off! Now she gets a boyfriend and he suddenly likes her? That's so not cool!”

“I don't think it's sudden. He's liked her for a while now. He just can't admit it to himself. I mean, he's been getting closer to her for a while now. Sooner or later he was going to figure out how he felt. Plus he always carries that Marinette lucky charm around. He's always had a thing for her, it just… developed slowly.”

“Well, it's too late. He better leave Marinette alone,” Alya crossed her arms. “He's hurt her too many times.”

“He didn't mean to. Adrien’s all about making people happy.”

“Whether he meant to or not is irrelevant. He did, and Marinette is finally happy. I won't let anyone hurt her.” Alya glanced over at Adrien. "I'll be right back."

"Alya, I really don't think you should-" Nino started, but she was already marching off.

"Hey, Agreste!"

Adrien glanced over at Alya; behind her, Nino was cowering behind a wall, a poor attempt at hiding and watching.

"What's up?"

"I'll make this quick, since Nino is waiting for me. Stay away from Marinette.

“What?”

“I know you like her. But she's finally happy with Luka, and I don't want you messing that up by telling her how you feel. You'll only confuse her, and hurt her and Luka.”

“Alya, I don't want to hurt Marinette.”

“Good. Then leave her alone. She's suffered enough.”

“Suffered? From what?”

“Oh come on, don't play dumb. Just let her be happy, okay? You should just be her friend. She always supported you and was a good friend to you, and you should return the favor.”

"But I-"

"I gotta go," Alya interrupted. "Bye, Adrien."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adrien went home and began practicing his piano mournfully. He couldn't make sense of Alya's words, he couldn't make sense of his own feelings, and all he knew was that he was utterly miserable.

His fingers went through the motions as his mind wandered, at first conjuring his usual daydream of him and Ladybug...

At some point Ladybug's face morphed into Marinette's, and he jerked out of his daydream. He had to stop. He didn't feel that way about her. He didn't want to run his fingers through her glossy dark hair or caress her soft cheek or hug and squeeze her...

His tortured thoughts were interrupted by a scream outside, and he rose from the piano bench to look out the window. A massive, hulking figure was stomping across Paris, it's body made entirely of rocks. The akuma conjured a giant boulder and hurled it at the ground, crushing a car.

"Uh, Plagg? It's time to get to work."

Plagg swallowed his cheese slice whole. "Fine," he grumbled.

"Plagg, claws out!"

After transforming, Chat Noir jumped out the window, extending his staff so he could vault to the next roof. He tried to call Ladybug, but there was no answer, so he began calling the rest of the team. The only one who answered was Queen Bee.

“Queen Bee, where are you?”

“I followed the akuma, we're by the Louvre. No one else is here!” she looked annoyed. “Where is Ladybug?”

“I don't know. Don't do anything, okay? I'll be right there,” Chat Noir said before hanging up. He started running toward the Louvre, jumping and leaping across buildings. As he was following the carnage, he heard yelling. Pausing, he saw Andre the ice cream man, stuck under his ice cream cart. The akuma had flung a boulder, landing on top of the cart and crushing it, along with Andre. Alya, Nino, Luka, and Marinette were struggling to free him. He jumped down to help.

“Don't worry, Andre,” Marinette grunted. “We’re going to save you!”

“It’s too heavy,” Alya cast Nino a worried glance. “What should we do?”

“Not to worry,” Chat Noir announced. They all turned, and relief swept through them.

“Chat Noir, thank goodness!” Marinette exclaimed. “Please help!”

“Of course,” he bowed slightly, then lifted his arm. “Cataclysm!” He swiped his hand at the boulder, causing it to crumble. With the weight gone, Luka and Nino were able to pull Andre free.

“Thank you, Chat Noir,” Andre shook his hands with both of his own, tears in his eyes. “Thank you! Thank you!”

“Just doing my job!” Chat Noir saluted. He glanced over at Marinette, who had wrapped her arms around Luka. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he extended his staff and jumped away. He sat on the roof for a moment, trying to get in control of his emotions. He had to go face an akuma. This was not the time to think about Marinette.

He took a deep breath, managing to quell the tide, and was about to head off to help Queen Bee when he noticed movement. Marinette was running away from Luka, ducking into the alleyway right beneath him. He frowned, looking down at her. Why would they split up? What was she doing?

She opened up her purse, and something small and red flew out. Chat felt his breath hitch in his throat. No. No  _way._

“Tikki, spots on!”

Chat's head spun as he was blinded by the pink light. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be! How could Marinette be… No. This has to be some kind of trick.

Ladybug ran out of the alleyway, and Chat jumped down, landing in the spot she had been moments before. It just couldn't be true.

Somewhere far away, there was a horrible loud thudding, screaming and crying… The screech of crushed metal, the crash of tumbling rocks. He was aware that the earth beneath him was shaking, but he strangely couldn't feel a thing. He saw an orange blur fly past him, a green blur right behind. Catching up was a yellow and black figure, shouting. Ladybug was springing into action, and then there was a loud beep and he was Adrien again, holding an exhausted Plagg.

“Adrien, they need your help,” Plagg said weakly.

Adrien stared down at Plagg in shock. “Marinette is Ladybug.” Plagg just closed his eyes, breathing heavily. “Wait a second. You knew. This whole time, you knew who Ladybug was. How could you not tell me?”

“You know you weren't supposed to know,” Plagg opened one eye. “It’s not a big deal to me, but Tikki didn't want me to tell.”

“I let you have all the freedom you want, and this is how you repay me. I'm sick of all the secrets, Plagg! I can't do this anymore!”

“Adrien, calm down. Just give me some camembert, and we'll talk after we deal with the akuma.”

“No. I can't. I can't even look at Ladybug right now.”

“You have to help Ladybug,” Plagg was frowning. Adrien set Plagg down on top of the dumpster, and after a moment's thought, he set a piece of cheese next to him. He shook his head and ran out from the alleyway, straight into madness.

The akuma was there, and the rest of the Miraculous holders were there, fighting. He saw Luka’s blue hair peeking out the window of a nearby building, watching closely. Ladybug swung over to Adrien.

“You have to get out of here! Come on!” she held out her hand.

Adrien just stared at her with wide eyes. He couldn't stop seeing Marinette’s transformation. How could it have been her all this time, and he never knew?

The akuma let out a roar and summoned another massive boulder, then flung it into the building Luka was in. Ladybug turned her head as the boulder was flying. Her mouth opened in a scream.

“Luka!” she shrieked, her throat tearing. “Carapace, do something!”

Carapace ran over, picking up speed so he could jump and roll in midair. He crashed through the window shell first, then brought the shield over Luka. “Shell-ter!”

The boulder hit the building, destroying part of it, but Carapace and Luka were safe. Ladybug ran over and grabbed Luka, holding him close. She released him and wiped her eyes, then flung her yoyo and carried him away.

Adrien was standing still, watching the action. Carapace was running away, about to transform back, leaving Rena Rouge and Queen Bee to tackle the akuma.

“My Venom can't pierce him through the rocks!” Queen Bee yelled.

“Right now we just need to prevent it from hurting anyone else, and wait for Ladybug,” Rena Rouge replied before jumping away to dodge another attack.

Adrien felt small hands wrap around his waist, and he was hoisted into the air. Twisting around, he saw Ladybug carrying him away. She dropped him on a rooftop, far away from the akuma, next to Luka.

“You guys stay here. You'll be safe,” she said firmly. She opened her yoyo to make a call, but got no response. “Where are you, Chat Noir,” she said softly, before swinging away.

Adrien stared at the cement under his feet, unable to look at Luka. Luka had won the heart of _both_ girls he desired. How was that fair?

"I hope Chat Noir shows up soon," Luka said, staring at the skyline. "Ladybug needs him."

"Please," Adrien scoffed. "She doesn't need him. She doesn't even trust him with her identity."

"I'm sure it's not about trust," Luka said. "Ladybug and Chat Noir trust each other more than anything. I mean, look at the way they work together. They care so deeply about each other."

"She has the rest of Team Miraculous," Adrien said bitterly. "He's replaceable."

"I don't think there's anyone in the world who could replace him," Luka said softly. "Not to her."

Adrien felt his heart sink, his mind replaying moment after moment with Ladybug. The images came in flashes, going faster and faster, until they settled on a particular memory, down in the sewers.

_"You and me against the world, my lady."_

He had to go. He had to find her and make up for everything, and fix this disastrous mess. He knew he was acting despicable today. No matter what, he was supposed to be there for Ladybug. “I have to go, Luka. I can't stay up here.”

Luka gave him a puzzled look. “Why not? Wherever you have to go, I think they'll understand.”

“I, uh, I'm afraid of heights. I have to go somewhere else. You understand. Bye!” Adrien rushed down the staircase before Luka could say anything. He regretted leaving Plagg alone in that alleyway. He regretted all of his actions today - he'd been selfish and cold to the ones he cared about most. He had to fix this.

Adrien ran through the streets of Paris, heading for the battle. He finally located the alley where he had left Plagg, but the Kwami was gone… and so was the cheese.

Adrien peeked around the corner and spotted a tiny black speck flying around the akuma's face, irritating it. He watched the akuma roar in anger, then reach out and smack Plagg, who rocketed straight to the ground.

“Plagg!” Ladybug cried out. “Carapace, cover me!” She raced forward, Carapace using his shield to protect her from the incoming attacks. Queen Bee used the string from her top to restrain one of the akuma's arms. The akuma roared angrily, flailing around in a desperate attempt to break free. Ladybug cradled Plagg in her hands.

“Plagg, it's okay. I've got you.”

“Where's Chat Noir?” Plagg cried out weakly.

Plagg’s words felt like a punch to the gut, and Adrien felt like crying. He had to be the worst Chat Noir in history.

“Rena Rouge, take Plagg. Take him somewhere safe,” Ladybug handed him to her, and she started running away. Adrien followed, and once at a safe distance, he approached her.

“Rena Rouge.”

She spun around. “Adrien?”

He narrowed his eyes. “You know my name. You… I know you.”

“No!” she laughed airily, but there was a hint of panic in her voice. “No, no, I just recognize you from your perfume ad.”

He was still suspicious, but he could buy that. Although, if Marinette is Ladybug and Chloe is Queen Bee, Rena Rouge and Carapace very well could be someone he knew…

“I can help you,” he said. “That thing you're holding… Um, Chat Noir gave me something to help.”

“How could Chat Noir talk to you if he doesn't have this?” Rena Rouge demanded, holding Plagg up. “And why would he come to you?”

“I don't know why. He was hiding, he wouldn't show himself. But I swear it was him. He said to give you some camembert.”

“Camembert?” Rena Rouge looked thoroughly confused as Adrien reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of stinky cheese. He took small steps forward, holding the cheese out.

Plagg started sniffing, but his eyes were still closed. “My sweet camembert, are you near?”

Rena Rouge still looked confused, and a little wary, but she took the slice of cheese and offered to Plagg, who devoured it. He shot up, holding his head. “Ouch. I've got the worst headache. Worse than that time I ate a whole wheel of raclette in one night!”

Adrien let out a little laugh in relief; Plagg was okay!

Rena Rouge looked at Plagg. “You still need rest. That was a horrible fall.”

“I'll be fine. I think I should just go find Chat Noir now. Bye!” Plagg flew off. Adrien watched him hide behind a tipped over car.

"Well, thanks Adrien," Rena said softly. "Go somewhere safe."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adrien ducked behind the car to meet Plagg, grabbing him and hugging him to his chest.

“Plagg, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I saw what happened! I don't want you to get hurt!”

Plagg wiggled free. “I'm fine! I'm the Kwami of destruction, it'll take more than that to defeat me!”

Adrien reached into his pocket for more camembert. “Here. You should eat more. I need to transform and help them.”

Plagg took the cheese and stared up at Adrien. “You still want to be Chat Noir?”

“As long as you'll have me,” Adrien said. “I know I wasn't acting like a hero today. But I'm going to fix everything.”

Plagg looked overjoyed, and he swallowed his cheese. “I'm ready!”

“All right! Plagg, claws out!”

Transformed, Chat Noir stood up and stretched his limbs. He took off, returning to the battle just in time to see Ladybug calling for her Lucky Charm.

“A carabiner?” She stared at the little clip in her hands.

“Ladybug!” Chat Noir walked over to her. She looked up at him, and offered him a relieved smile. And then she punched his arm. Hard.

“Ow!”

“Don't disappear like that again!” she warned. “I don't know what happened, but you need to be more responsible!”

He chuckled softly. “You're right. You're always right. I'm sorry.”

She looked a little surprised at his sincerity, but she shook it off. “Ok. Well, I know what to do. Give me your tail.”

He obediently unbuckled his belt and handed it over. She tied a small loop and clipped the carabiner to it.

“What's the plan?” Carapace yelled, dodging another attack.

“I figured out where the akuma is,” Ladybug announced.

“Where?” Rena Rouge shouted. “It’s made entirely of rocks!”

Ladybug pointed up at the monster. “Yes. See that little rock on it's chest? It's shiny, it's not the same kind of rock as the rest. And it's shaped like a heart. That's got to be it.”

“Great, well how are we supposed to reach it? That thing is like fifteen feet tall!” Queen Bee snapped.

Chat Noir eyed the Lucky Charm. “Please tell me you're not going to climb up there.”

“I'm not,” she replied with a sly smile. “You are.”

“What?”

“You're going to use your Cataclysm on it. Don't worry, we'll cover you.”

“What?” he repeated in disbelief.

She placed the carabiner in his hands gently, smiling a little at his aghast look. “I promise you'll be okay. You think I'd let anything happen to my partner? Trust me.”

He looked into her beautiful bluebell eyes, then nodded. “I trust you.”

“Good.”

They stared into each other's eyes a moment longer, and then Chat Noir took off, running straight for the rocky leg.

“Alright, everybody distract it!” Ladybug called to the rest of the team. Carapace flung his shield, smacking the giant in the face.

“Yo! Down here!”

The monster roared and made a move for Carapace, but Rena Rouge played a note on flute. “No, over here!” The akuma turned to look at her, and she jabbed her flute straight in the cracks in between the rocks. The beast let out a roar of pain, and reached for her.

“You're going to lose, Rocky!” Ladybug said, wrapping her yoyo's string around his arm, holding him back. Queen Bee went for the other arm, holding the monster in place. It screamed and struggled to fight them off, all while Chat Noir did his best to climb up.

“Can't they keep this thing still?” he muttered, pausing in his tracks as the monster shook. He was about halfway up, and he knew Ladybug was running out of time. He had to hurry.

He climbed faster, and was almost there when the beast slipped out of Queen Bee's grasp, and it pulled away. Ladybug tried her best to hold on to the other arm, but it was too strong.

“Chat Noir!” she yelled. He clung to his belt tightly as the monster moved, shaking him. If he tried to reach now, he would slip and fall.

Chat Noir gritted his teeth. He screwed up so much today, but he wasn't going to mess this up too. No matter what, he was ending this akuma. He swung back and forth on the belt, gaining momentum.

“Oh God, what is he doing?” Rena Rouge gasped.

Team Miraculous stared in horror as Chat Noir swung forward and jumped.

“Cataclysm!” he yelled mid-jump, activating his power. He swiped at the glittering stone heart, and it turned black before crumbling to ash. A dark butterfly flew out, and the victim turned back into a human, sitting on the ground, dazed.

“He did it!” Carapace said.

“He's falling!” Rena Rouge pointed.

Ladybug's earring beeped another warning at her. She only had a minute left. But she wasn't going to let her Chat fall. Ignoring the black butterfly, she jumped and threw her yoyo, swinging and catching him.

“Thanks, my lady,” he said, cracking a smile.

“I told you to trust me,” she said, grinning back. She set him down, then tossed her yoyo one more time. “No more evil-doing for you, akuma!” She purified it and set the white butterfly free. “Bye-bye, little butterfly,” she said softly.

Chat Noir handed the carabiner back to her, and she tossed it into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

The magic ladybugs flew over the city, restoring everything, including the shiny rock heart. The victim picked it up carefully, holding it to his chest.

Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee walked over to the man, but Chat Noir hung back. He looked over at Ladybug.

“You did it.”

“No, _you_ did it. Until you came along, none of us could defeat it.”

“Happy to be of service, my lady.”

She gave him that beautiful, soft smile that always made his heart swell. “Well, I better go. Bug out!”

She pulled out her yoyo to swing away, but he grabbed her arm. “Wait. I need to talk to you.”

“Chat Noir, I really have no time left.”

“Just meet me in that alley over there after you feed your Kwami. Please.”

She looked at his imploring eyes, hesitant. “Fine,” she relented, then swung away. Hiding away, she detransformed and offered Tikki a cookie from her purse. “Why do you think he wants to talk to me?”

“Marinette, don't forget you're on a date with Luka,” Tikki reminded her, chewing loudly.

“I know. I'll make it quick. It's just… weird. He's acting strange.”

Adrien fed Plagg more cheese. “Are you sure you're okay?”

Plagg gobbled his cheese down. “Camembert always makes me feel better. Although, I might still need more…”

“Don't worry, you'll get a feast tonight when we get home. Just after I talk to Ladybug.”

“What are you going to say to her? You can't tell her you know she's Marinette.”

“I'm not. I just want to talk to her.”

Both transformed back into heroes, and Chat Noir extended his staff a bit so it was tall enough to sit on, then waited for Ladybug to show up.

“Silly Kitty, get down,” she said in a playful voice. A wide smile spread over his face, and he jumped down, shrinking his staff.

“My lady,” he bowed slightly. “Thanks for coming.”

“Well, I can't stay for too long. But I'm curious what you have to say.”

“Right. Well… I wanted to apologize for today.”

“Why? You were the one who got the job done,” Ladybug tilted her head to the side in confusion.

“But I let it get out of control. We would have defeated it much faster if I hadn't run away.”

“What happened?” She asked. “Did you lose your Miraculous again?”

Chat Noir lowered his head in shame. “I wish that was what happened. I… I was having second thoughts about being Chat Noir. I abandoned my Kwami! You probably don't think I'm worthy of being a hero.”

Ladybug smiled a little and sat down on an old crate. “Do you remember our very first day as heroes?”

“Of course.”

“Well, then you must remember how un-heroic I acted.”

“But-”

“It’s okay. I was a coward. I wanted to give up the Miraculous. I almost gave it away to someone else, someone I thought would be a better Ladybug. But I didn't. Because it's not our mistakes that define us. I mean, I know I've made so many mistakes. It's how we move forward and past those mistakes. You may have had second thoughts, but you still came back. You're still a hero. You've always been a hero. Especially to me,” she said, looking at him with those beautiful blue eyes.

“Ladybug…”

She stood up and brushed herself off. “I should go. You shouldn't doubt yourself. You're my trusted partner. You'll always be the most important hero to me.”

She turned to leave, but he couldn't hold his words back anymore.

“Ladybug, I love you,” He blurted.

She turned back, her face pained. “Chat Noir…”

“No, wait. Don't say anything. I know you don't love me back. I know you like someone else. And that's okay. I didn't say it because I expected anything. I just said it… To say it. I just wanted you to know how I feel.” He couldn't stand to see the sadness in her eyes, especially knowing his words had caused it. “I'm sorry. I never wanted to put you in a tough spot. We can just act like nothing happened. But I am sorry for how I've acted. With all the names and the flirting. I never thought about what you wanted, I was just thinking about what I wanted, and that's not fair. I can even stop calling you my lady, if you want,” he said, his words spilling out in a rush.

“It's okay. You don't have to stop. I'll be honest, at first it annoyed me, but I'm used to it now. I kind of like that you have a pet name for me. I kind of miss when it was just… us. Don't get me wrong, I love having Rena, Carapace, and Queen Bee around. They're helpful and great, but when it was just you and me… Well, it was different. We were the dynamic duo,” she admitted.

“I miss when it just us too,” Chat agreed excitedly. “You and me… against the world.”

She smiled fondly at the memory. “Maybe we should go on a patrol soon, just the two of us.”

“I look forward to it, my lady,” Chat said.

She looked down awkwardly. “Well, I do have to go. I'll see you soon, Chat Noir.”

“Goodbye, Ladybug,” he said quietly as she swung away. He detransformed, releasing Plagg.

“So… how did it go?”

“Okay,” Adrien replied, peeking out onto the street. Marinette was running over to Alya, Nino, and Luka, who were all waiting for her. She tripped at the last second, falling into Luka's arms. “I think I can finally accept just being friends with her.”

“You're okay, knowing that she's Ladybug?”

“I guess it doesn't change much. Either way, she doesn't love me. And honestly, how could I have not seen it? They're both brave, beautiful, kind, and good leaders. She's always been Ladybug.”

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you liked it! I wrote this a while ago, before Silencer came out, but watching the new episode reminded me how much I liked them together. I like Adrinette too, but Adrien really needs to stop being so oblivious and get it together if I'm going to fully be on board. After all, Luka is awesome and he and Marinette are great together.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
